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As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’ve spent the last few weeks working on our Montessori-style school room / play room (…see helpful resources here) so I thought I’d share a few of our corners with you. I’m beginning today with our geography wall because it is probably my favorite part of the room. You can purchase laminated maps but most of the large ones I’ve seen are pretty expensive. We actually had this old map rolled up in the basement. I bought it at our local bookstore several years ago. Since she is such a hands-on learner (what preschooler isn’t?) I’ve been trying to think of creative ways for her to learn geography through play. She LOVES this one. I cut a medium weight sheet of plastic laminate (purchased at the fabric store) the same size as the map, and used tacks to pin it at her level on the wall. When we read books with geographic references in them, she can mark the locations on the map with a dry erase marker. Even when we’re not reading, she loves drawing on it and telling grand stories about her own imaginary adventures.

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UPDATE: There will be no List Lovers post today. I’m up to my ears today. I’m terribly sorry that I forgot to tell you yesterday. If you’d still like to share your list, feel free to add your link at the end of this post.

If you’re growing weary of all of the Montessori posts, I apologize, but blogging is about seasons and this is the season we’re in so I’m going with it. The past few weeks I’ve been slowly organizing and gathering odds and ends for our Montessori homeschool classroom. I am not a Montessori teacher and by no means an expert on designing a prepared environment so I have been mining the web for ideas and inspiration and I wanted to share a few nuggets with you that I have found so helpful.

And finally, here’s some eye candy. I’ve been putting togetherthis gallery of playful learning spaces on Pinterest. They obviously are not all Montessori inspired, but I’ve found so much inspiration. Just click the image to take a look around.

I hope to be back tomorrow with a room tour of our own. Have a wonderful Thursday!

p.s. Visit the Montessori resource page for links to a wonderful collection of FREE Montessori resources and printables. It’s a work in progress!

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This continent map from Montessori N’ Such had me drooling, but the price…not so much, so I began searching for alternatives. I’ve seen quite a few continent maps crafted out of felt, but I wanted something more tactile that was a bit more durable for little hands so I decided to make continent map out of foam. This map is intended to be used as a reference / control chart and as a play mat for miniatures since the continents are affixed to the board. However, after I cut out the first set of continents, I traced a second matching set to use with an additional blank board so she can build the world herself while looking at the control map. I chose foam colors to match the traditional Montessori continent colors.

Directions:
Center the two blue foam sheets and glue them to the white board.
Visit Owl and Mouse and print out the map titled “World 1″ in the size, 2 x 2 (4 sheets). If you prefer larger maps, print out a larger size (obviously).Tape the map together so that all of the continents are in their proper place. Cut out each continent but DON’T cut it precisely along the lines. Leave some margin around the edges. This will make it easier to cut the final shape out of foam. Affix each cutout to the appropriate color foam sheet with a small piece of rolled transparent tape. Now cut out the shape out of foam, using the actual lines on the template as a guide. Glue the continents to the foam. Design your own continent labels. Use sticky back velcro to attach them to the side of the map so they can be removed easily and placed on the corresponding continent.

We’ll be using this map as we begin exploring the world with our continent boxes. If you’re looking for free continent box resources,visit this post for a collection of links to free resources.

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Welcome to the second week of Poetic Play! If you missed the introductory post, Preparing for Poetic Play, I suggest you begin there and then return to this week’s poem. It will tell you everything you need to know. If you’d like to play along with us, you’re welcome to grab this graphic.

Have fun playing!

T H I S W E E K ‘ S P O E M

THE POSTMAN
The whistling postman swings along,
His bag is deep and wide,
And messages from all the world
Are bundled up inside.

The postman’s walking up our street.
Soon now he’ll ring my bell.
Perhaps there’ll be a letter stamped
In Asia. Who can tell?-author unknown-

H A P P Y H A N D S
* Find a pen-pal. It could be a relative, a friend, a senior in your local nursing home, or a missionary kid on the other side of the world.
* Write a thank you note to the postman.
* Start a stamp collection.

C R A F T I N G
* Decorate a small cardboard box and make a mailbox for your family. Your little one can be the mail carrier and deliver the notes you write to one another.
* Design your own stamps with these friends of the USPS.

T A K E T O T H E S T R E E T
*Contact your local post office and see if they’ll allow you to take a tour.

T R A V E L T H E W O R L D
* Locate Asia on the map. Find out how much it costs to mail a letter and how long it will take to get there.

Have fun playing this week!

p.s. I’m in the process of compiling a directory of free online Montessori resources and printables, along with tutorials for making your own Montessori manipulatives. Hope you enjoy!
Click below to see the directory.